William Oswin is the first recorded owner of the Hays Paddock land where Glass Creek flows into the Yarra on a property known as Kilby Farm.

[16] In November 1892 Charles Wells and John Bailey were charged with 'depositing nightsoil in Glass's Creek' at Burke Road one rainy night, 'thinking that the flow of water would carry the offensive stuff away...'[17] In 1926, the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) assumed control of many urban waterways within the greater Melbourne area, but conflict arose between the City of Kew and the MMBW.

[19] After a long period of resistance, the MMBW conceded the advisability of converting Glass Creek and connected tributaries in Camberwell to stormwater drains in May 1938[20] and took full control in September of that year.

The first proposal to route the creek underground in its northern section was put forward by the City of Kew town clerk, W.D.Birrell, in 1943, but the project was not pursued.

However, during construction of the Eastern Freeway and redesign of the Kew Golf Club’s course, the MMBW planned to underground the lower reach entirely.

Due to cost constraints on the freeway construction, only a partial section of the creek was covered leaving the final 254 metres (833 feet) open to flow into the Yarra.

On the southern side of the freeway, 852 metres (2795 feet) of the creek also remains open flowing through the Hays Paddock parkland.

In its natural form, the creek originated near what is now Loma Linda Grove in Greythorn, the eastern part of Balwyn North.